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Items tagged with: AllEyesOnSumud

Some updates on the Sumud ๐Ÿงต

After Italian MPs forced their government to send a frigate to support the Flotilla, hundreds of elected officials from across the European Union have called for the convoy to be protected.

#AllEyesOnSumud #BreakTheSiege #FreePalestine

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We, the undersigned parliamentarians from across the European Union, write to demand immediate and coordinated protection for the Global Sumud Flotilla amid the escalating attacks on its participants and their boats as they sail through the Mediterranean Sea en route to Gaza. Late last night, under the cover of darkness, 10 civilian vessels were attacked in a hostile manner off the coast of Crete, Greece. The attacks included aerial harrassment by unmanned drone aircraft, deployment of explosive and incendiary devices, deliberate dispersal of chemical substances onto civilian vessels, disabling of emergency communication devices, and calculated physical damage designed to render the ships unseaworthy and endanger volunteers onboard. On the backdrop of the United Nations General Assembly, where several member states have called attention to the dire and inhumane situation in Gaza - where, according to IPC, over 1.1 million Palestinians are facing catastrophic levels of famine - *these attacks not only jeopardise the structural integrity of the humanitarian fleet but place all those on board at grave and immediate risk as they continue on their legitimate humanitarian mission*. As representatives of European nations bound by the frameworks of international humanitarian law, maritime safety, and fundamental human rights, we cannot stand idle while such violations occur in European waters where European values and European responsibilities converge. * bold type
We therefore urgently call upon The European Comission to initiate immediate diplomatic and operational responses to ensure protection of humanitarian vessels in European waters; The European Maritime Safety Agency to coordinate enhanced maritime security measures and deploy available resources to protect civilian humanitarian operations; EU member states to contribute coast guard vessels, where possible, to ensure safe passage for this humanitarian mission. We emphasise that sixteen sovereign nations - among them many EU nations - have formally recognised this flotilla's humanitarian status and have issued diplomatic calls for protection under established international maritime law. The absence of accountabilitiy for these attacks cannot excuse inaction. In the face of continued threats to civilian humanitarian workers, we must provide the protection that European values demand and European capabilities can deliver. *As representatives of democratic institutions across Europe - from national parliaments in Berlin, Paris, Rome, Madrid, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Warsaw and beyong, to the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg - we call upon our colleagues throughout European institutions to join this urgent appeal.* * bold type
Names of signatories to letter
Names of signatories to letter
#freepalestine #alleyesonsumud #breakthesiege

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